Bass lure competitors to Harris Chain

Soon, daylight revealed the 55 fishing boats on the opening day of the BASS Federation Championship.

With two days of practice runs behind him, tournament manager Jon Stewart was pleased the launch at Hickory Point Recreation Complex in Tavares went off without a hitch.

The anglers -- from 47 state chapters and Japan, South Africa, Italy, Zimbabwe, Canada and Mexico -- are competing in the championship on the Harris Chain of Lakes. It continues through Friday.

Each boat carries an amateur angler and an observer, who is a volunteer from the Florida chapter of BASS, the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society.

"This is the best of the best," said Doug Gary, tournament director for the Florida BASS Federation.

Anglers will fish for about eight hours each day, Stewart said. At the end of the day they will bring in their best five catches. After the fish are measured to make sure they are at least 12 inches, the anglers will take them to Venetian Gardens in Leesburg for a weigh-in.

"I expect it to be big weights," Stewart said. "It's a good time of year to be here."

Winning weights are based on the total for the three days.

The top angler will take home $15,000, while the other 54 will split $35,000.

In addition, each winner in six divisions will qualify for the 2006 CITGO Bassmaster Classic on Feb. 24-26 on Lake Tohopekaliga in Kissimmee and for the 2006 CITGO Bassmaster Southern or Northern Tour.

Defending BASS champion Ed Cowan of Pennsylvania fished for two practice days on Lake Harris and Lake Griffin and caught several largemouth bass, with the largest at about 4 pounds.

"It's starting to improve," he said. "I think by Friday we should have some pretty good catches."

During last year's four-day competition on Lake Tohopekaliga and Bay Lake at Walt Disney World, Cowan won with a cumulative weight of 62 pounds.

After the weigh-in each day, the fish will be placed in a 600-gallon tank on a catch-and-release pontoon. There are four compartments inside the tank to allow the fish to be released in various lakes.

The fishing contest also could be a good catch for the local economy.

"This particular tournament will probably bring in $2 [million] to $3 million," said Greg Mihalic, executive director of Lake County Economic Development and Tourism.

Mihalic also noted that the championship will be televised on ESPN2 later this month.

"When we get the exposure on TV, people will understand the opportunities that the county has to offer," he said. "It's part of a much bigger program to promote fishing in the county."

The BASS Federation Championship is one of 10 fishing tournaments planned this year in Lake County, he said.

BASS stages thousands of tournaments annually. The group's headquarters is in Celebration.